KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia said Thursday it would not pay its contribution to an international rubber marketing organisation until agreement had been reached with the other two members on how to run it.

Primary industry minister Lim Keng Yaik was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying Malaysia would not make its contribution to the International Tripartite Rubber Organisation without knowing what the money would be used for.

Bernama said Thailand had complained that Malaysia had not paid the money to the organisation, which has Indonesia as its third member.

Boosting weak prices

Lim said the three countries have not decided when the consortium would begin operations.

Malaysia is the world's third largest rubber producer after Thailand and Indonesia. The three Southeast Asian countries set up the rubber organisation to boost weak prices by cutting natural rubber production and exports.

The three producers, who produce 79 percent of the world's natural rubber, planned to cut total production this year by 380,000 tonnes. AFP